Bill Bush | 202.682.8069| bushw@api.org
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2010 – The American Petroleum Institute issued two new refinery safety standards today. The first will help companies identify and use process safety indicators to reduce risks; the second will provide guidance on reducing fatigue risks. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) recommended that API and other stakeholders develop the standards following the CSB’s investigation of the 2005 Texas City refinery incident.
“The new standards will help companies reduce the risks of refinery incidents,” said Bob Greco, API’s group director for Downstream and Industry Operations. “The industry is constantly looking for ways to enhance worker safety and lower the level of incidents: the only acceptable level is zero. These tools will help the industry continue to make refineries a safer place to work.”
The first standard, Recommended Practice 754, Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries, provides companies with leading and lagging process safety indicators for recognizing and evaluating events that may predict safety issues. It was developed for the refining and petrochemical industries but may apply to other industries with operating systems and processes where loss of containment can cause harm. For more information, see the
RP 754 fact sheet.
The second standard, Recommended Practice 755, Fatigue Risk Management Systems for Personnel in the Refining and Petrochemical Industries, provides guidance to help manage fatigue risk. It was developed for refineries, petrochemical and chemical operations, natural gas liquefaction plants, and other facilities. For more information, see the
RP 755 fact sheet.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved both of the standards as meeting its Essential Requirements. ANSI is the accrediting body for U.S. standards developing organizations.
To view the new standards, go to:
http://www.api.org/standards/psstandards/.
Updated: April 23, 2010